Our boy is getting so big already! Brayden is over 12 lbs. now and the rolls are starting to show- I just want to eat him up! It’s been a treat to have him all to myself during the day and it makes me sad to realize that my maternity leave is more than half over. He has started smiling this past week and he has the cutest little grin! Hopefully we can catch one on the camera soon.

We had a great time with my family last week and Lauren loved seeing her uncles Jeff and Jonny again. They each got some cuddle time with their new nephew but were most entertained by their imaginative, talkative, and spunky niece :) We kept them busy with trips to the zoo, the MOA and the skating rink where Lauren showed off her skills on the ice. It was sad to see everyone leave- the time always goes too quickly!

Hard to believe that Brayden is one month old already! Between sleeping, feeding, napping, and playing with a very imaginative 2 year old, the days have all kind of run together and a month has gone by quickly (except in the wee hours of the morning- then time goes a little too slowly). We’re still trying to figure out how to get more sleep throughout the night; Brayden still spits up quite a bit and seems to have some tummy aches which causes him to wake up frequently in the early morning hours. It’s hard to tell if the Zantac is helping but we’ll give it some more time. The doctor had us bump up the dose last Friday because he’s gained quite a bit of weight in the last two weeks- he’s up to 10 lbs. 7 oz. now!

Lauren is still loving her role as the big sister and asks me to take her picture every time she’s holding him. She has loved the extra attention and big sister gifts that she’s received. We’ve had quite a few visitors and Lauren has enjoyed having kids over to play with while we show off her little brother. She recently got a new pet, a betta fish that she named Nemo, for being completely potty trained and likes to feed him herself- hopefully he can survive being overfed a few times a week.

My brothers and parents are coming for a visit this week and we’re so excited to see them and to introduce Brayden to his uncles!

Brayden is now two weeks old and we’re all doing okay! Josh and I are both a little sleep deprived and the postpartum hormones cause an occasional tear here and there, but for the most part, I’m feeling a lot better this time around; knowing what to expect with a newborn sure has made a difference, too. He’s a great nurser, which has really helped keep my stress level to a minimum, and he is already over 9 lbs! Unfortunately, he hasn’t been sleeping very well at night and the nurse practitioner we saw today thinks it may be acid reflux related (he tends to spit up quite a bit). So our little guy is on Zantac and both Josh and I hope that he starts sleeping comfortably very soon!

Lauren has been adjusting pretty well- tantrums seem to be a little more frequent and she has started to talk back to us, but she hasn’t asked us to take him back to the hospital yet :) I knew she’d be a good little helper and she loves to help put on his diaper, watches me bathe him, and asks to hold and kiss him often.

Thanks for all the well wishes and thoughtful emails/phone calls; days seem to go too quickly and I find myself unable to respond to everyone but we appreciate all the love for our little boy. We are very blessed to have such a sweet little guy!

I’m into the final week of this pregnancy and am definitely ready to meet this baby! I’ve been quite uncomfortable over the last few weeks with swollen legs/feet and sore joints; the belly is bigger this time around which doesn’t help my comfort level! This pregnancy has also been different in the fact that I have less time for resting now that there is a little girl around that needs my assistance and attention!

I was disappointed after my Dr. appt. last Friday when she didn’t give me any indication that I would be going early, but she did schedule me to be induced this Friday. So if this baby doesn’t decide to arrive before then, we will meet him/her in just five days! It’s a good feeling to know that tomorrow is my last Monday at work for a while :) Not sure we’re prepared mentally yet, but I’m physically ready and Josh isn’t enjoying my frequent mood swings… not that they will get any better once the baby is here!

Lauren is loving her new room, her big girl bed, and especially her new Pre-1 classroom at daycare. Her new schedule at school has been a little adjustment- it’s more structured learning and play time which has tired her out more than usual. But she loves her new friends and teachers and is learning so much in just few weeks she’s been there; she even started counting in Spanish the other day which took Josh and I by surprise. We’ve been enjoying a lot of quality time as a family of three before life changes in a very big way!

We're patiently waiting for Friday and meeting this new little granddaughter or grandson. Lauren is going to be over the top happy with her own live bitty baby to nurture and diaper! Lots of thoughts and prayers are with you all this week as we look forward to welcoming this little blessing. Love, Nana Jo

It’s been a little slow around here while we get ready for Baby #2 to arrive. We’re busy trying to get the guest bedroom converted into Lauren’s new “Big Girl” bedroom. How many princesses can you put in one room? I think we’re on our way to finding out, although we’re trying to do our best to make the room decor last a little longer than her Disney princess obsession. And because moving furniture in one bedroom wasn’t enough fun, we’re also going to try and move ALL of the furniture on our upper level over the course of two days as we have the carpet replaced next week. Should be interesting. Anybody want to help move a piano? I don’t think Steph and Lauren are going to be much help.

Lauren seems to have passed another milestone over the last few weeks. Regardless of whether you are a friend, family or a complete stranger, she’ll be more than happy to drop her pants to show off her new princess underwear she is now wearing full time. There was a lot of talk in the house about #2 over the past 3 weeks and it wasn’t in reference to the new baby. After a few lucky breaks for Mommy & Daddy, she appears to be on her way to earning the title “potty trained” (knock-on-wood).

In the meantime, as you can see in the video, Lauren and Koda have slowly started becoming good buddies. Lauren is finding new ways to play with him every day and Koda is slowly realizing that she does more than just drop food on the floor. I’ve also started taking Lauren skating on Saturdays because, well let’s face it, we only have 4 more years until the next winter Olympics. After the first trip, I left thinking perhaps we’re still a little young. However after our third time out, she really seems to be getting the hang of it and seems to really enjoy it. Especially when she knows there is a hot chocolate waiting for her at the end.

Less than 12 weeks to go until we meet baby #2! My check-up on Friday went well and aside from a nagging cough and sleep interruptions, I’m feeling good and happy to be in the third trimester now. I don’t have any inclination regarding the gender of the baby; since I was positive Lauren was a boy, I’m not even going to throw out a guess. The heart rate was 140 bpm; looking back, Lauren’s was 135 bpm around this time, but Josh thinks I’m carrying lower this time, which indicates a boy by an old wives’ tale. Check the baby poll in if you’ve got a guess for the gender and arrival date!

Lauren has become more interested in my growing belly and likes to pat it and say hi to the baby. She’s not patient enough to leave her hand there long enough to feel any movements, though. She’ll say it’s a baby sister or a baby brother depending on the day, but every time someone asks her what we’ll name the baby, her reply is “Dora”. Whether we bring home a boy or girl, the baby’s name will unfortunately be a disappointment!

I think too Steph that you are carrying this baby lower and thus placed my odds with baby boy. We are so excited to meet this new little sister or brother of Lauren's. Although you don't probably feel like the time has gone quickly — I can't believe we'll meet this new little babe at the end of March! And what fun it will be to see Lauren's reaction.

At 2 1/2 years old, we figured Lauren was ready for her first haircut (and the fact that her hair was looking pretty scraggly). It was more of a trim since I didn’t want to cut off the natural curl and, thankfully, the curls remain. We were a little nervous about how she would behave so we went stocked with toys and treats. Once we walked in, we realized that the place was definitely equipped to handle their clientele- Lauren was very satisfied to watch a movie while they cut and styled her hair! She talked about her haircut for days afterward and now when I blow-dry my hair, she wants to have hers done, too.

We got our first look at Lauren’s little brother or sister last Friday. We’re happy to report that the baby looked healthy and appears to be right on track for 20 weeks, weighing in at a whopping 13 ounces. For those of you looking to get the inside track on guessing the baby’s gender, the heart rate was 133 BPM. Unfortunately just like it’s big sister the baby was a bit stubborn so we didn’t get many great views and there wasn’t a detailed 4d image to print so we’ll just have to settle for these B/W images and be thankful that the baby is healthy. We were told by the ultrasound technician that even if we had wanted to determine the sex of the baby she would have been unable to given the position of the baby. However she looked pretty proficient at her job and I think she was just trying to help us not go back on our decision to keep it a surprise.

We are so thankful for the news of a healthy baby . . . girl or boy Lauren is going to be a great "big sister" (just like her mom is!) Lauren keeps us all so entertained that this pregnancy seems to be going FAST! Right, Steph?
Looking forward to Thanksgiving with all of you! Love, Grandma Mary and Bumpa

If you haven’t heard by now, we’re expecting again! Baby #2 is due March 28th and so far it has been an uneventful pregnancy. I’ve been feeling good, just tired, and this past week I’ve been feeling definite kicks and movement of the baby. The ultrasound is Friday so we are looking forward to seeing the little one and we’ve decided to keep the gender a surprise again. Lauren will occasionally ask if there is a baby in my tummy and pat my growing belly, but she has no clue what she is in for- hopefully she loves a brother or sister as much as she loves her baby dolls!

Lauren had a fun Halloween- although she told her daycare teachers that she was going to be a dinosaur, she didn’t seem to mind her Snow White dress. She was very excited about all the candy but has mostly forgotten about her stash… we’ve found that a couple peanut butter cups before bedtime does not help her settle down to go to sleep!

Lauren, You and Mommy and Daddy are super speedy pumpkin carvers! The cupcakes you helped make were cute and look yummy. I'm sure you had fun decorating them. Have fun charming the neighborhood in your princess costume tonight. Love you.